The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the safety and efficacy of sunscreens, allowing new products to enter the market through a rigorous over-the-counter drug review process. This procedure establishes the criteria under which products are “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) for their intended purpose. A critical component of this framework involves the identification and evaluation of active ingredients.

DSM Nutritional Products LLC, a company with headquarters in Switzerland and the Netherlands, has recently petitioned the FDA to include bemotrizinol as a new active ingredient for use in U.S. sunscreens, according to an FDA announcement.

The FDA has opened this petition for public commentary and will carefully evaluate the safety and effectiveness of bemotrizinol under the GRASE guidelines before deciding whether to officially include it on the list of approved active ingredients for sunscreens.

“Bemotrizinol would be a valuable addition to the existing range of effective sunscreen active ingredients available to American consumers,” stated Dr. Karen Murry, acting director of the Office of Nonprescription Drugs, in an official release.

While seeking shade and wearing UV-protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses can mitigate exposure, sunscreens—whether chemical or mineral—are essential in safeguarding the skin from harmful rays.

Staying in the shade and wearing UV-protective clothing, hats and sunglasses can all reduce exposure, but sunscreens, chemical or mineral, are also important tools to protect skin.

Chemical sunscreens – such as avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, ecamsule, homosalate, octisalate and octinoxate – bind to the top layer of skin and transform UV rays into heat that disperses. Mineral sunscreens, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, form a protective barrier between the skin and the sun.